A few nights ago I was lying in bed reading when one of my smoke alarms beeped three times. Since it was about 11pm, I was only resigned instead of feeling aggravated – normally my smoke alarm batteries go bad between 2am and 4am, when it’s least convenient and most confusing.

I hauled my butt out of bed. I walked down the hall, opened the door to the garage to get a ladder … and discovered that the overhead garage door was open. I had forgotten to close it for the night.

I closed the overhead door then stood for a moment, wondering … what if the smoke alarm wasn’t a battery problem at all? What if it was a way to get me out of bed to find the open garage door?

Leaving the ladder in the garage, I walked back to the bedroom and went back to reading my book, waiting …

The smoke alarm stayed silent.

If I had been in more of a hurry or less relaxed, I might have just gone ahead and changed the battery in the smoke alarm. If I’d done that, I’d have missed this little gem of interest, a smoke alarm being used to alert me to something important I’d forgotten to do.

A good reminder to slow down and pay attention. How many “miracles” do we miss in our haste?

5 responses to “The Smoke Alarm Communicates”

Oh, Natalie, yes, yes, yes ~ I cannot begin to tell you how many times I’ve experienced this type of occurrence and actually watch for them, especially the ones that would cause frustration or inconvenience since they stand out most dramatically. I always laugh at how consciousness swirls through the mist of it all and we observe synchronicity because we know it is there.